Advancements in communication technologies have permitted the development, installation, and use of new types of communication systems. Their use is an endemic aspect of modern society, and use of such communication systems through which to communicate data is a practical necessity for many.
The advancements have been incorporated, for instance, in radio communication systems. In a radio communication system, communication channels that interconnect the communication stations operable therein are formed upon radio links rather than upon wireline connections. Because radio links are utilized upon which to form the communication channels, the need to establish conventional wireline connections between the communication stations of a conventional wireline communication system are obviated. A radio communication system, free of the need to form wireline connections between the sending and receiving stations of the communication system, is permitting of communications between locations at which formation of wireline connections between the communication stations would not be possible. Additionally, a radio communication system is amenable for implementation as a mobile communication system in which one or more of the communication stations is provided with communication mobility.
Many communication systems make use of digital communication techniques. Use of digital communication techniques permits data to be communicated more efficiently than when communicated through the use of analog communication techniques. A radio communication system is typically bandwidth-constrained. That is to say, a radio communication system is typically provided with only a limited bandwidth allocation upon which to define radio channels. There is, therefore, generally a particular need in a radio communication system to utilize the spectrum allocated thereto in an efficient manner, thereby to maximize the communication capacity of the communication system. In a communication system that utilizes digital communication techniques, information that is to be communicated is digitized. In one common technique, the digitized information is formatted into packets according to a selected packet formatting scheme. And, the packets are communicated to effectuate the communication. Individual ones, or groups, of the packets are communicated, sometimes at discrete intervals. Once delivered to a receiving station, the data packets are arranged in order and concatenated together. And, the informational content of the communicated data is recreated.
Communication systems that utilize packet-formatted data include conventional LANs (Local Area Networks). Wireless networks, operable in manners analogous to wired LANs have also been developed. And, these wireless networks, referred to WLANs (Wireless Local Area Networks), are utilized to communicate data packets by way of radio channels defined upon a radio link, thereby to effectuate communications between communication stations that are parties to a communication session.
WLANs, as well as other types of communication systems, are sometimes constructed to be operable in conformity with a variant of an IEEE (Institute of Electrical and Electronic Engineers) 802.11 operating standard. Various aspects of the operating protocols are undergoing consideration for inclusion in the operating standard.
For instance, proposals related to radio resource measurement procedures are being solicited and considered for inclusion in the operating standard. Radio resource management operations are facilitated through the measurement of various measurement parameters. And, by facilitating improved radio resource management, improved communication operations in the communication system are possible.
In an existing promulgation of the operating standard, protocols relating to manners by which to request or communicate radio resource measurements are unspecified. Radio resource measurements are sometimes requested by one communication station of the WLAN to be performed by another communication station of the WLAN. For instance, requests are made by a fixed-network access point of a mobile station for the mobile station to make measurements. And, measurements are sometimes requested by a mobile station to be made by an access point. And, sometimes requests are made of a mobile station for another mobile station to make radio resource measurements.
Some measurement values are of significance, or of increased significance, when the duration of the measurement is known. That is to say, a measurement period is regularly associated with a measurement value. And for a measurement value to have meaning, the measurement value must be measured for at least a designated time period. A radio signal strength measurement value is averaged over a time period to obtain a better sampling of the signal strength level. Other measurement values analogously are also of increased utility when measured over a time period. A radio resource measurement request should, therefore, specify not only the measurement that is to be made, but also the time period, i.e., the duration, during which the measurement is to be made.
While the measurement quality of the measurement value is generally increased when measured over a longer measurement period, the availability of a communication station at which the measurement is to be made to make the measurement might be limited. If the requested measurement period is unacceptably lengthy, the communication station at which the measurement is to be made elects not to perform the measurement. That is to say, if the requesting station makes a measurement request for measurement of a value over too long of a measurement duration, the requested station is unable to comply with the request and rejects the measurement request.
If a measurement request is rejected, a subsequent request can be made by the requesting communication station that identifies a less lengthy measurement period. And, the requested communication station, elects whether or not to perform the measurement over the less lengthy measurement. Multiple iterations of the procedure might be carried out prior to selection to perform the measurement during an acceptable measurement period. This trial and error procedure is inherently inefficient, resource-consumptive, and time-consuming.
An improved radio resource measurement procedure is therefore required.
It is in light of this background information related to radio resource measurements in a radio communication system that the significant improvements of the present invention have evolved.